Xperia PLAY Now for Sale at Orange and T-Mobile UK

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY, the very first PlayStation-certified smartphone in the world, is now available for purchase in the UK via wireless carriers T-Mobile and Orange (or Everything Everywhere), after being pushed back by two weeks from the initial April 1st release date planned for it.

The handset became available through other wireless carriers in the country as well, and should hit the shelves at more of them in the not too far future.

UK users interested in the new device from T-Mobile would find it available for free on plans that start at from £56.17 a month (including Internet Booster).

At Orange, the new mobile phone was put on sale for free on the carrier's £75 per month plan, but is also listed as available from £449.99 + £10 top up on Pay As You Go options.

“The Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone. It has a slide-out control pad with the iconic PlayStation buttons for a great gaming experience. A 1Ghz processor makes it super speedy, too,” T-Mobile notes on its website.

The Xperia PLAY hits shelves in the UK with a number of seven pre-loaded games, including Crash Bandicoot, Asphalt 6 Adrenaline, FIFA 10, Star Battalion, SIMS 3, Bruce Lee Dragon Warrior, or Tetris.

Along with these, users would find a wide range of other titles in the Android Market, including a series of games designed specifically for it.

Some of the main features of the new device would include its fast 1GHz application processor, complemented by a 4-inch touchscreen display, and the sliding game pad with all of the usual PlayStation controls on top of it.

“Giving you everything you need in a smartphone as well as great gaming, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has a 4" touchscreen and a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. It also runs on the latest version of Android (2.3) so you'll have access to thousands of apps,” T-Mobile continues.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY can be seen listed at T-Mobile UK here, while Orange has it available here.